Department of Transport and Main Roads dropping speed limit on Tallebudgera Connection Rd
Speed limits are to be reduced on a Gold Coast road notorious for koala fatalities. But a local MP says there are big problems with how it’s being done. Full details.
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Speed limits are to be reduced on a Gold Coast road notorious for koala fatalities in a trial which could lead to permanent road safety changes.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads will drop the speed and install new signs in a dedicated Koala Zone on Tallebudgera Connection Rd.
A 50km/h speed limit will be introduced on a 2.7km stretch between Valley Drive and Currumbin Creek Rd between 6pm and 6am, when the animals are most active.
New warning signs and vehicle-activated flashing LED boards will be installed along the stretch to remind drivers to slow down, while speeds will be monitored within the zone to assess the effectiveness of the measures.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the trial would begin within the next couple of weeks and continue until January to cover the breeding season.
“This trial is a massive credit to the local residents and passionate wildlife services, they have been instrumental in helping identify and deliver these improvements,” he said.
“We will be monitoring the results of this trial very closely to see what impact this has on reducing koalas strikes.”
Currumbin Wildlife Hospital research supervisor Lewis McKillop said the facility had “too many koalas” in its care who had been struck on Tallebudgera Connection Rd.
“Our hospital is currently caring for two koalas that were struck in this location over the past fortnight,” he said.
“Sadly, koalas are endangered and our populations across the Coast are in decline and we need to do everything we can to ensure they survive.
“This is a commonsense approach and I’m really hopeful this trial will help and I hope we see it become a regular measure every breeding season”.
Environment Minister Leanne Linard said koalas were one of the community’s most loved species but under threat.
“The trial will give travelling koalas a better chance at survival, and give motorists the opportunity to become more aware of those really active times of day.”
Late last year, the hinterland community’s favourite koala – named Hernando Half Penny by locals – was killed near a horror stretch of the rural road.
A vehicle on an unlit straight section near what locals call the “devil’s elbow” bend hit the koala, then another drove over it.
A campaign involving Currumbin Sanctuary Wildlife Hospital had helped fund warning signs before Hernando’s death on November 7.
Currumbin MP Laura Gerber said she welcomed measures to protect koalas, saying the community could not afford to lose any more.
But she was unhappy about a lack of community consultation about the trial, which she said risked making it less effective.
“The Palaszczuk Labor Government promised to consult with the community about koala protection. But now, six months on, there has been no community consultation and nothing more than announcements,” Ms Gerber said.
“Consultation not only gives our community a voice but raises awareness about driving safely through Koala habitat.
“I’m concerned that because the state government failed to consult with the community the effectiveness of this trial could be jeopardised, and we desperately need this trial to succeed - we can’t lose any more koalas.
“The trial would be more effective if the community understood the measures through consultation.”
TMR will review the results of the trial early next year.
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Originally published as Department of Transport and Main Roads dropping speed limit on Tallebudgera Connection Rd
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